


Cruel and Unusual Punishment

by KrisLantic



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Human/Monster Romance, M/M, Minor Character Death, Monsters, Original Character(s), Tragic Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:34:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26630695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrisLantic/pseuds/KrisLantic
Summary: Elias is a man of many traits... one of them being that he eats flesh for a living with no remorse. But he will begin to feel emotions he has never felt before after meeting the kind son of a wealthy entrepreneur. And the feelings are unpredictable.





	Cruel and Unusual Punishment

**Author's Note:**

> On a whim

Kneeling down in the secluded playground, Elias observed the mess he had made. The girl's chest was torn apart with hardly any remains leftover other than the ribs and spine. He licked his lips and watched over the corpse in silence, pondering to himself. It would be a waste to leave a great deal of food just lying there, so he may as well continue indulging himself. Either way, he would have to find some way to discard the body. So he sharpened his nails, mercilessly scavenging through the leftovers.

"Mm... almost done." His teeth sunk deeply into the pale skin. 

It was terrible how a child's life, who was struck by curiosity by this abandoned park, was viciously devoured by another... which most would say is the fault of one's evil temperament, but Elias felt nothing of it. When he was like this, filled with this devilish feeling, he felt absolutely no sympathy. There was no way to combat against the urges he constantly had to eat human flesh, and he didn't exactly feel bad about it. The taste of it was like no other meat he had ever eaten, it was irresistible. Nothing could ever compare to tearing an innocent stranger's skin apart with his own fangs. Of course, this would only complicate life.

Elias ingested the last of his meal and got to his feet, wiping his mouth with his bare hand. "See you soon..." he mumbled to the body with a smirk. Although it was a cold night, he wore only a t-shirt and baggy jeans which were stained in blood. He was wearing boots, which made trudging through the mud nearly effortless (it had rained a few hours before). Now that he was able to eat, he felt satisfied, but he needed something to clean himself up. He began heading to a small abandoned shack that seemed to have been scorched in a fire, an estimate of perhaps... twenty years ago? Elias was unsure of when this place faced its misfortune, he had come across it at a desperate time and chose it to be what he would call home. It had ashy marks all over and the smell was unpleasant. Surely, no one in their right mind would explore this eerie shack in the middle of a thick forest. That is, unless they were looking to be his next meal.

Most weeks, he would gather clothing from either his victims or through stealing at various places. But tonight he was eager for a hearty dinner and got ahead of himself, which he would have to pay for. How was he going to get clean clothes without raising suspicion, with the blood of a child marked on his clothes? Luckily, Halloween was only a few days away. Elias would make the claim that he was wearing an exceptionally realistic Halloween costume. So he endured through three days and three nights with the absence of human contact, drinking water from a nearby stream and sleeping on an uncomfortable pile of dead leaves he constructed every day. Using the fresh water from that same stream, he rinsed the wet blood off his toned skin.

Damn, if only he wasn't such a sloppy eater.

He only really _needed_ to eat somebody once or twice a month. This hasn't always been the case, but Elias learned to control his urges. To this day, he still isn't sure where these instincts came from. The impulse came out of the blue, and he couldn't exactly tell anyone that he gets feelings of longing to eat someone. Sure, it was lonely living like a wild animal, but after years of living a certain lifestyle it just comes naturally.

Soon enough it was Halloween, and a window of opportunity for him had opened.

The sky was a vivid orange and the breeze refreshed him, blowing through his black hair. Elias had made his way to the bustling town, where children and their parents could take a picture with their favorite Halloween characters or get free candy from kind strangers. They all seemed happy with each other's warm presence, but Elias was so unfamiliar with the concept of feeling welcomed towards others. He watched with slight remorse as the children had fun wearing their silly costumes with spooky decor all around. 

All of a sudden a woman's voice yelled from a distance. "Hey buddy!" Elias turned his head towards the voice to see a middle aged woman dressed up as a cowgirl. He stared at her in confusion as she walked a little closer with a bright smile, yet focused on watching her children play with the 'monsters'. "That's a real nice costume ya got there. You seem confused though, is there somethin' you need?" There was kindness in her voice, and a sincere shine in her eyes. Elias found it funny the way she seemed to have no trace of doubt that the costume was far too real.

In order to blend in, he forced a slight laugh and cleared his throat. "No ma'am. I'm just looking around..." This wasn't a lie either. He searching around the town, in search of the laundromat he always loitered around to gather a few pieces of clothing. But every building was decorated with Halloween merchandise, which made it difficult to distinguish what was what. "But you wouldn't happen to know where the laundromat is, would you?"

The woman let out a laugh, with a few snorts in between. "Seriously, who doesn't know where the laundromat is? Oh well, yer prob'ly new around here. But I'll tell ya— it's around that corner, a lil to the right." She pointed in that direction, and then tipped her hat as to say you're welcome. Elias gave his thanks by bowing his head and jogged towards the laundromat, which earned him several looks from many parents, puzzled as to why a grown man was jogging around during a Halloween festival. It's quite strange how a man who feeds on others was now wandering in between hundreds of them.

Inside the laundromat was only a couple of adults waiting for their laundry. Once he set foot inside the building, all eyes were on him, and then they wandered elsewhere. Elias set his eyes on a basket of somebody's laundry sitting on the seat next to them as they dozed off, earbuds in. If he was going to successfully take some of his clothes, he needed some luck... or a distraction. He inched closer towards the sleeping man.

Unfortunately, there was a man next to him who was fixated on his phone, waiting for his clothes to dry. The man had brown hair and a tall figure— but what caught Elias' attention was how he was wearing such nice clothes, ones he would label as luxurious. He must have been blessed with a silver spoon. It was a white button up shirt and black slacks, without any wrinkles to be seen. Maybe this wasn't that impressive, but it certainly was to Elias who had to wear the same rotten clothes for weeks straight. How was he going to get himself those valuable clothes if a man of that class was in his sight? He turned his attention to the basket of laundry, noticing that the upscale man had jerked his head upwards.

"Hey, I know that look. Don't do it." The words came out of the man's lips in a manner that was serious, yet empathetic. Elias stepped backwards, anxious and unsure of what was to come next. He was afraid of getting caught, because he had gotten away with so much without anyone there to guide him. In comparison to that man, Elias was a puny imp. He couldn't find the right words to say at the time, which resulted in him awkwardly standing there without making eye contact. The stranger crossed his arms and stopped waiting for a response.

The man raised an eyebrow with concern. "What's wrong with you? Say something." Elias felt a sliver of panic in his chest.

"I-I'm sorry sir! Forgive me," he blurted out loud. Suddenly, the sleeping man jerked his head up and looked at Elias, and then the stranger. Elias must have been unnecessarily loud to have woken him up. After taking in his surroundings, he pinched his nose with a grimace.

"Ugh, the hell is that smell?" he stood up and backed away from Elias. Elias forgot that he would smell bad to others since he rarely bathed, he had gotten used to the stench after carrying of it for so long. When he did bathe, it was in a river or a lake. "I needa get outta here..." the stranger mumbled, grabbing his basket of laundry and heading out. Elias felt a bit embarrassed and his face had a vague hue of pink. That must be another reason why everyone was staring at him outside. He carried that smell everywhere! The man in the seat tilted his head in curiosity. 

"Huh... where do you come from?" the stranger asked. Elias' eyes widened a little at his sudden inquiry, and the man waited patiently for an answer. He didn't know how to respond to that.

"Um... from the small town Yalesburg. It's a short drive." The nervous man came up with this lie rather quickly, but the stranger furrowed a brow in suspicion.

"Show me your car," the man asked with a tone that said _'I know you're lying.'_ Elias gulped, feeling a pulse quickening in his chest, and then shook his head.

"...I don't have one..." 

The stranger crossed his arms and let out a small chuckle.

"Well then. What are you doing here? You look like you're up for some trouble."

"I'm... just hanging around?" 

The stranger couldn't help but to laugh. "How do you expect me to believe that? You looked at that guy's clothes as if you had to look over it with your life!" 

Elias looked down at his feet, realizing that the others in the room were probably staring at him with baffled faces. In that moment, he just wanted to go back to his shed whether it meant he had to wear his nauseating clothes or not. The stranger took note of Elias' body language and sighed.

"Alright, I'll stop digging into your life. I'm Atticus." So now Elias knew the stranger's name. Atticus cracked a knuckle. "Not that I really require an introduction... anyways, what's your name kid? And sit down, you don't need to stand there so... stiffly."

Elias tensed up with more embarrassment and immediately made his way to the seat next to Atticus. The man chuckled at how quick Elias was to act to his words.

"Elias," Elias told, watching the people who had gone back to doing whatever they were previously.

"Well, Elias... you seem like you need help?" Atticus said while his fingers tapped everywhere over his phone. He must have been typing something. Elias never had a smartphone. He and his family were never able to afford one for himself, but the idea of having one seemed amazing.

Elias thought to himself. It seemed like Atticus was willing to help Elias and give him some things to help. Elias kept a smile to himself, wanting to take advantage of this.

"I do... but I don't want to bother you with anything," Elias said, sounding especially believable. He needed to sound empathetic to help in getting this rich-looking man to help him. Atticus finished typing on his phone, turned it off, and turned to Elias.

"Don't worry about it, I already got you covered for a while. You should come to my father's hotel."

Elias had a visible look of confusion on his face. He assumed the man was going to buy him a gourmet meal maybe, but a stay at a hotel? For free? That was way out of his thought bubble. But the opportunity was right there! And one thing Elias knew was to take every opportunity when it is presented.

"Wait, really?" Elias said with some enthusiasm. Atticus smiled and nodded at the interested young man. Suddenly, Elias felt a wave of realization come over him. "Wait, the hotel? Isn't the nearest one owned by Jon Young?" 

Jonathan Young was a well-known entrepreneur in the state of Nevada. He had a earned a net worth of millions, and his hotel line Youngs Inn was one of the most famous across America. Elias shivered at the thought of being in front of such a renowned man's son, but now he didn't have to imagine it. Did he really deserve to have a free stay there? And what's the son of a millionaire doing at a measly laundromat?

Atticus nodded. "Yeah... but I thought you'd already known that. I'm surprised you didn't notice my connections earlier, most people have heard of my name... hold on, I have to take this," he spoke until his phone rung.

"Hey. No, it's fine. I have it all covered, don't worry... I just said I have it covered. Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it!" He hung up with a face of slight annoyance. Elias presumed the call must be related to him. 

"Well, you want to come or not?"

Elias was still a bit unsure. It was strange how this was all happening, a stranger who happened to be in line to inherit millions making such a kind offer. Plus, it was in a _laundromat_ of all places! But who would Elias be to decline? "Yes... yes, I'll go. Thank you, sir. But I have to ask... what are you doing here?"

"First of all, you can drop the formalities. Second, _all_ the washing machines at the inn were taken! And one of them happens to be out of order! I don't understand why but this is like the happy hour for the laundry rooms there," Atticus explained. "I'm actually helping an elderly lady out... excuse me," he said, standing up and opening one of the drying machines. He put the old-fashioned woman's clothes in a basket, carrying them in his arms. The basket looked light, but Elias could see that he had strong forearms (Atticus' sleeves were rolled up to his elbows). Elias stood up after Atticus and nodded in understanding. He didn't really care for all this talk. He just needed to make it through until he had a nice comfortable room... oh, the thought of it was so comforting! A king sized bed with soft white pillows, his own bathroom, maybe even room service! It was too good to be true.

Atticus looked at Elias and leaned his head towards the door, signaling that he should follow him. Elias did just that, staying by the handsome man's side. He was surprised that Atticus could tolerate Elias' smell and just his appearance in general. He turned to Atticus who was walking steadily. "Do I not disgust you?"

They had to brush their arms against several different strangers, and Atticus was thinking about how to respond.

Atticus continued walking leisurely, but in a thoughtful trance. "I mean, you don't smell the best, and you need some new clothes. But I'm not trying to look at you with any sort of disrespect," he explained. "I just enjoy helping people." Elias nodded with his dry hands in his jean pockets as they walked through crowds of people in costume. It was kind of Atticus to have a want of helping others, but Elias wasn't the type to come to other's rescue. It was good for Elias though, how Atticus had a helpful nature. 

After a few minutes of walking through a spookily decorated city, they arrived at the front of a large building. There was a large sign labeled _"Youngs Inn: More Than Meets The Eye"._ Elias was looking forward to what he found would be a new and fortunate segment of his life.


End file.
